Plus bride scared to go wedding dress shopping…

i am a plus size bride and I have exactly a year today till I say I do (eeekkk I am excited) I am really not wanting to do dress shopping because I am scared I won’t find anything that will fit. I am a street size 22 but last yr when I was in a wedding as a bridesmaid I had to order a size 30 from Alfred Angelo!! I was so upset. Now that mine time has come has come to look I don’t want too. Please help and post pictures of your dresses, size and where you got it 🙂 thanks

Even if they don’t have anything that fits you in the store they WILL be able to order it in your size. Dress shopping should be fun! Just be comfortable and go into with a positive attitude knowing that when you walk down the isle your FI will think you are the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen, no matter what dress you’re wearing.

@Mrs_PinkHerman: When I went dress shopping I called ahead to ask about their sample sizes. Several of the stores were very happy to tell me they had a wide range of sample dresses in plus sizes. Not to worry!! Enjoy your shopping experience and I look forward to seeing your dress!!!

@Mrs_PinkHerman: My best advice would be to seek out bridal salons that are geared towards plus size brides — I went to the Alfred Angelo in Altamonte Springs when I was visiting my sister earlier this year & they were awesome, there were plenty of dresses to try on in my size, etc. & I had a great experience. However, when I went to Phoenix to visit my mom a month later & tried on dresses at a plus-size specific bridal shop (called Strut), I realized how much better it is to go to a store that specializes in plus sized brides. They had a longline bra that actually fit me. I wear a 40DD & Alfred Angelo tried to stuff me into a 36C at both locations I went to, they had a dressing room with mirrors inside of it so I could veto a dress that looked horrific before having to go outside the dressing room & see everyone’s reactions. When I tried these dresses on I was in a size 20/22 bridal, size 18 everyday. I’ve lost about a size since then thanks to Weight Watchers & I’m hoping to lose another size before I order my dress in October. The first two are from Strut (top is Eden Bridal, 2nd is Mori Lee), the remainder are from Alfred Angelo.

I was a street size 22 and ordered a size 18 from Alfred Angelo for my wedding dress.

If you don’t want to deal with the embarassment of not being able to try on anything at the store (my first shopping experience sucked), make sure you call about size information (and whether they carry any samples big enough) before making an appointment.

Stores are getting more size friendly these days, but it’s still good to ask ahead of time.

Don’t pay any attention to the size. It’s just a number. Doesn’t change anything about you. Bridal sizes are seriously wonky. It may make life easier to call ahead to see if they have samples in your size and price range. But don’t let it get you down. I did not look forward to dress shopping simply because I don’t like shopping in general, but it turned out much better than I thought. I didn’t have a big, oh my god, this is the dress, screaming, crying moment. But I did wind up with a dress I love. You will to. Just try to be nice to yourself. We’re all our own worst critic, so sometimes I think it’s helpful to think of yourself as you would think of a friend.

I don’t know if this will help or not, but I’m a “traditional” size – I’m typically an 8-ish, and I tried on sample (that zipped!) all the way from size 6 to samples I barely squeezed into that were size 12s. Bridal sizing, much like Old Navy and LOFT, is wacky and crazy and doesn’t make any sense.

Anyway, I had a consultant tell me “Honey, there is no way YOU are getting in THAT dress” when the sample was a size 12, and another consultant tell me “it really does nothing for how hippy you are”. So…just know that being a “regular” size doesn’t necessary avoid any embarrassing situations, and doesn’t necessarily mean you fit in the samples.

Confidence is key – just smile and have fun with it…try on some really ugly, horribly unflattering dresses for fun (my unflattering dress of choice was this thin, crocheted lace slip dress. Oh man. It showed cellulite I didn’t know I had. So bad, yet so good (for entertainment!).).

Alfred Angelo’s wedding dress sizing is more true to size than their bridesmaid dresses. I was a street size 22/24 when I ordered my dress, but I was able to fit into size 18/20 sample dresses. If you decide to try AA, you will have lots of gowns to try on (I tried on at least 10!).